Narendra Modi's US visit creates a buzz in diplomatic circles

On September 25 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be heading for New York. There is a lot of expectation from both the sides. Many are saying that Modi's whirlwind diplomacy - with India's neighbours, including China, and Japan - has earned him the distinction of being a turbo-charged leader among his global counterparts. And now, Prime Minister Modi is all set to sit down with US President Barack Obama. Not surprisingly, the prime minister's impending visit has become a talking point in the US.

GROWING IMPACT

After his successful visit to Japan, which saw the personal warmth between the Prime Minister his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, the Modi charmed Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot. It was followed by the recent high-profile meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in New Delhi.

Soon, leaders of the UK and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be heading to Delhi, proving the growing importance of engaging with India under Prime Minister Modi. And then leaders from Africa too will join the queue to be part of 'Modiplomacy'.

Modi's slated meeting with President Barack Obama and the dinner in the honour of visiting Indian prime minister have created a lot of buzz in the diplomatic circles in New York. The two leaders will interact on September 29 and 30, and it will be watched keenly by global leaders who will assemble here to address the United Nations General Assembly.

In the US, Modi is slated for a performance at the Madison Square Garden to woo the Indian-Americans. He's also to deliver a speech at the Central Park, and meet the captains of American industries. Who will say now that for a decade the same Narendra Modi was not granted a visa by the US. The Americans are now all out to extend a red carpet welcome to the Indian prime minister.

"Narendra Modi's foreign policy is driven by security matters when it comes to immediate neighbours, and economic factors when dealing with major powers, as evidenced by the joint statements with the world leaders. For his visit to the US, there is less that the US government can offer in terms of infrastructure development and manufacturing, at least not in the scale of Japan or China. But Prime Minister Modi's engagements with the American private sector will be crucial for the US. It will be important for India's development initiatives in the near future," Richard M. Rossow, Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told Mail Today.

BOLSTERING TIES

While in the US, Modi will engage with many world leaders and hold bilateral meetings. He will meet Bangladeshi Prime Minister Seikh Hasina; Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakshe; the Clintons-former US president Bill Clinton and former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton; the mayor of New York and many more.

All of it will certainly add up to the wholesome efforts of both the Americans and the Indians to bolster the Indo-US ties. Here is a quick look at the issues that will have to be addressed during Modi's visit to US.

ON THE AGENDA

>> Strengthening strategic partnership

India and the US did foster a good strategic partnership but it suffered during the UPA II regime. While the Indo-US nuclear deal became the centrepiece of bilateral relations, the then prime minister Manmohan Singh couldn't keep his promise of taking it through. The Indian liability law was stuck and the deal was delayed. The US was reassured with the new government ratifying the Additional Protocol under the Indo-US nuclear deal. The Protocol was meant to grant greater access by the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor India's civilian nuclear programme.

>> Ramping up defence partnership globally

India is a big spender when it comes to defence purchases. Not surprisingly, India is being wooed by many suitors. President Obama will be keen to impress upon PM Modi that the US will be a trustworthy partner for defence hardware. There could be promises of technology transfer and joint production. Over the years, there has been a robust growth in defence trade, with defence acquisitions from US crossing $9 billion. During his talks, Modi is expected to flag that US the need to simplify its technology transfer policies. It is important that the US transfers state-of-the-art defence equipment to India; it will allay Indian concerns that the tap may run dry in a crisis situation.

>> Building personal chemistry

PM Modi's visit will provide the US leadership an opportunity to build good relations with the Indian prime minister. President Obama will surely want to build a personal rapport with Modi.

>> Cooperation on counter-terrorism

During their dialogues and in their joint statements both the US and India have been committing that they will fight terrorism and strengthen counter-terrorism operations. These issues should be an important take away from the Modi-Obama meeting. Cooperation in counter-terrorism is imperative, given the multiple threats that loom large on both the countries and the gamut of terror groups -from Al-Qaeda, Lashkar e-Taiba to the Islamic State. The functional cooperation between India and US is being done by a Joint Working Group and a Homeland Secretary Dialogue, besides regular intelligence-sharing between the agencies. What the two leaders can agree on is to take this cooperation to a new level where information can be exchanged and the two countries can mount joint operations to weed out terrorist groups. That can only happen with a decisive political leadership and it is an opportunity which Prime Minister Modi should exercise.

>> Putting trade on the freeway

Prime Minister Modi's economic diplomacy can boost the Indo-US relations; the $120 billion trade can touch the target of 1 trillion by 2030 with the right acceleration. When the two leaders meet, trade will be high on their menu and the idea will be to clear the hurdles. That will require getting rid of the archaic laws and reform labour laws that prevent many companies from investing in India. India has signed Bilateral Investment Treaties (BIT) with 82 countries. A BIT aims to protect and promote investments and guarantee international minimum standards in the treatment of foreign investments. But in case of the Americans, they want that US courts to have a final say in any commercial dispute arising under BIT. However, India wanted that the Indian courts should have the final say in such cases. It is important that India does the needful to assure the American investors in this regard.